Cayeye and Cabeza de Gato (Colombian Mashed Green Plantain)

Cayeye, also called Mote de Guineo, is a traditional Colombian dish from the Caribbean Coast of the country. Cayeye is made by cooking small green bananas (guineos) in water, then mashing and mixing them with refrito, made with onions, garlic, red bell pepper, tomato and achiote.

Cabeza de Gato is the same dish as Cayeye, but instead of using small green bananas (guineos), regular green plantains are used instead. In case you were wondering, Cabeza de Gato literally translates as “Cat’s Head”, but don’t worry, there’s no cat in the dish and I have no idea why the dish has such a name! 🙂

Cayeye and Cabeza de Gato are usually served for breakfast with fresh grated Colombian cheese (Queso Costeño) and fried fish, shrimp, crab, or beef. I personally like to serve my Cayeye with fresh cheese, avocado and fried egg on top.

There are different variations of this dish in Latin America. In Cuba Cayeye is called Fufu de Plátano, in Puerto Rico it’s called Mofongo and in the Dominican Republic, Mangú, to name a few.